


Someone Else's Secret

by jackabelle73



Category: Glee
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 15:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20566943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackabelle73/pseuds/jackabelle73
Summary: Set during the events of "Born This Way," this is a conversation between Kurt and his dad, as he's about to return to McKinley High.





	Someone Else's Secret

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this years ago, and recently found it again. There is brief mention of a non-consensual kiss.

“Dad? Can I talk to you about something?”

Burt looked up from the computer where he was adding a recent parts shipment to the shop’s inventory. The look on his son’s face as he hovered in the doorway, told him that the inventory could wait. He hit the button to make the screen go dark and rolled his chair back from the desk. 

“What’s on your mind?”

He waited as Kurt stepped through the door, shutting it behind him, and came to lean on the edge of the desk.

“Dad, you know I trust you, right?” 

“Yeah, Kurt.” He couldn’t help but worry at the tone in his son’s voice. What was this about?

“I trust you completely to keep my secrets… but today I’m asking you to keep someone else’s secret.” Blue green eyes studied him. “Can you do that, Dad?”

Something about the way his son held himself so carefully, how he seemed to be choosing his words with care, made Burt pause before answering. He leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the armrest. 

“Is this person in trouble, Kurt? Is this secret something that could get someone hurt?”

“I think.... that someone will get hurt only if the secret is told.”

“OK, Kurt. I’m gonna believe you when you say that. As long as whatever you’re about to tell me isn’t going to get someone hurt, I’ll keep it to myself.”

Kurt nodded, accepting that answer. He looked at the ceiling as he spoke. 

“Dad, there’s… there are things I haven’t told you that happened between me and Karofsky.”

Burt immediately tensed up at the mere mention of that name. “Did he come after you again? I knew it was just an act!” 

He rocked forward, ready to jump out of his chair, but stopped at Kurt’s upheld hand. 

“No, Dad, he hasn’t done anything to me. I mean, not recently. I need you to stay calm, okay?”

“Okay, okay…..” He willed himself to space out his breaths evenly. “So what haven’t you told me?” 

“Last fall, when the bullying was getting really bad, and I had just met Blaine and he encouraged me to stand up to Karofsky -- well, one day I did. He shoved me again, then headed off to the locker room. I followed him, and confronted him. And he--” Kurt stopped and swallowed. 

“What did he do, Kurt?” He was starting to fear the answer. 

“He kissed me.” It came out in a whisper. 

That was not what Burt had expected. He was all ready to get upset at hearing that Karofsky kid had tossed Kurt in a dumpster, or shoved his head in a toilet, or whatever humiliating thing high school boys did to each other these days. But a kiss? He made himself ask the question he knew needed to be asked. 

“Did he do anything else, Kurt? Did he--”

“No, Dad. Just a kiss, I promise. I shoved him away and when he tried to kiss me again, I shoved harder… then he just left. That’s all.” 

He shoved up from his chair, taking the few steps to the opposite wall of the office before turning back to his son. “So is he gay?” 

“I think he is, yeah. But he’s not ready to come out, Dad. He can’t even admit it to himself right now. I think it’ll be a long time before he can tell the rest of the world.” 

The anger was welling up, but he tried to focus. His son was telling him something important. He needed to hear him out. 

“So why did you tell me? And why now?” 

Kurt stood to face him. 

“I want you to understand why I took him at his word today. Why I believed him when he said that he’s changed, or at least he’s trying to. Why I think that I can be safe at McKinley when I go back tomorrow. I don’t want you to worry, Dad.” 

“But I do worry, Kurt. What this guy’s done to you -- all the threats, the physical violence, and now you’re telling me he kissed you? Without your consent? That’s sexual assault, Kurt!”

“I know, Dad, and for a while after that I was hurt and angry, and lots of other things. I mean, I felt like he stole my first kiss from me.”

Burt couldn’t help but snort at that. “Not to downplay what happened to you, but I walked in on you and that ditzy blonde last year. I know that wasn’t your first kiss.”

“Dad…” This time Kurt drew it out, rolling his eyes to show how dense he thought he was being. “If you kissed another man, would you count that as a real kiss?”

“First of all, I--” He stopped abruptly. He was going to say that he couldn’t imagine any circumstances that would find him kissing another man, but perhaps that wasn’t the most sensitive thing to say at the moment. He thought fast and said lamely, “I guess I see what you mean. I’m sorry, Kurt. Sorry it happened to you.”

He shrugged. “It’s in the past now, Dad. It was hurtful when it happened, but no long-term damage done.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me? When it happened, I mean?”

“It was barely a month after your heart attack, Dad. I was afraid of what that kind of news would do to you.” 

“I still wish you would’ve told me. You needed someone there for you, someone to talk to.” 

“I had someone, Dad.” The smile on his face told Burt what he was about to say. “I met Blaine about that same time, and he was there for me.” 

He looked so much like his mother when he smiled. 

“Well, I’m glad you weren’t alone.” And he was glad, but at the same time saddened to realize that his son was leaning on someone else, was no longer relying on him as he had as a child.

“I wasn’t. And that’s another reason why I didn’t tell you, or anyone, what happened. I was at Dalton just a few days later, I had Blaine… all that bad stuff at McKinley just seemed like a bad dream that I didn’t want to dwell on.”

“Okay, I get it. But still--” He shook a finger in his face before gripping his shoulder firmly. “I don’t ever want you to keep something like that from me again, Kurt. Not where your safety is concerned. I don’t care how old you are or how many others you have to lean on, it’s been my job for seventeen years to keep you safe, and I’m not gonna stop now.” 

“Okay, Dad, okay. I get it.” 

“Now, as for this other thing.” He dropped his hand and turned away, still trying to pace within the confines of the cramped office and not succeeding well. “I’m still not sure why the news that Karofsky’s gay too, should make me feel any better about you going back to McKinley. Doesn’t change what he did to you.”

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, I know what he’s going through, Dad. And what I learned today when I talked to him, is that he’s starting to come to terms with himself. And I know what that’s like, I can understand why he channeled all that insecurity into bullying.” 

“Doesn’t make it right,” Burt grumbled. 

“No. But I understood, even back then. Even sympathized with him a little.” 

“You’re too nice. You were sympathizing with him, when all you had to do was threaten to spill his big secret and all your troubles would be over. You think he would’ve dared to lay a hand on you if you threatened to tell?” 

“I couldn’t do that, Dad. I just couldn’t.” 

“I don’t get it.” He shook his head. 

“Dad, when I came out to you, you were completely unsurprised. You told me you’d known since I was three. So why didn’t you just tell me I was gay, if you were so sure?” 

“Not my place, Kurt. You needed to figure it out on your own.” 

“So why not ask me then, nudge me along? Why wait for me to come out?” 

“Because… you needed to do it on your own,” he repeated. “It needed to be your choice.” 

Kurt nodded. “Karofsky deserves the same choice, Dad. Outing someone… I wouldn’t do that to my worst enemy.” 

“Obviously, since you didn’t,” Burt muttered. 

“And I’m asking you not to either, Dad. I said I trusted you, and I do. Keep this between us, ok?” 

He surveyed his son for a moment. “I said I’d keep whatever secret you asked me to keep as long as it wouldn’t get anyone hurt. And I’ll stick by that. If this guy comes after you one more time, all bets are off, Kurt. I know you have your own reasons for not outing him, and I respect that. But preserving your high morals for you don’t count a bit against guarding you from harm. If it comes down to that, my first priority, always, is to keep you safe. Understood?”

“Yeah, Dad. That’s what I’m counting on. I think that Dave has changed. My gut says that I’ll be safe when I go back to McKinley. But in case I’m wrong, I need you to know the whole story. You’re my safety net, Dad… like you always have been.” 

**Author's Note:**

> This is one of two short (and unrelated) Glee fics I'm posting today. I recently discovered that I have over 100K words, spread over eleven fics for two different fandoms, that I've written but never posted. Most of that wordage is for long multi-chapter fics, which need a lot more work before I can post, but I had two short ones that were essentially done and just needed polish. So I'm posting them both today, just so I can feel like I'm crossing things off that WIP list and making progress. The other Glee fic is called "The Rainbow Connection" and will be posted shortly.


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